Today I'm excited to share a review and giveaway for newer brand of gel nail polish called Gelliebeans. I was contacted by the company and was immediately intrigued by their miniature sized bottles that promised "the sweetest at-home gel manicure." I had to give them a try- you know I'm all about the DIY gel mani.
Gelliebeans sent me a complete at-home gel nail polish set up, including their starter kit, portable LED lamp, and 6 of their mini bottles of gel polish. The starter kit includes: primer, Rock Bottom Base (base coat), Hard Candy Shell (top coat), No Sticky Finish (cleanser), Best Remover, cuticle pusher/remover, orange stick, nail wipes (20pk), foils (100pk), and directions.
The smaller bottles are great for using at home because you don't have the waste factor like with larger bottles of gel polish. Most people aren't going to use up all of the polish before it expires and has to be tossed, so minis are a smart way to go for the average at-home gel polish addict fan. Each bottle should give you around 20 manicures!
Gelliebeans gel polish is a 4-free formula, meaning it's free from toluene, phthalates, camphor, and formaldehyde. It's also enhanced with a vitamin-enriched formula to keep your nails looking natural and beautiful. They bring the salon to you with their vitamin-enriched polishes, high-tech LED lamps and nail care tools that promise salon quality results without the high salon prices.
Here are the six colors I chose to try:
Strawberry Froyo- a playful, shimmering fuchsia. This one is eye-catching, but not too bright.
Mint Without the Chips- the perfect mint color I've been looking for! This is a gorgeous, bright turquoise blue.
Chasharella- a lovely blue-green cream. I described this to a friend as "peacock" blue.
Dark Gray Plastic- a warm, brownish-gray cream.
Purple Passion- a dark plum cream. I love this one because it's finally a deep purple without being too black!
Best Friend's Wedding Cake- a soft white creme with no shimmer. I probably wouldn't wear this one alone like this, but rather as a french tip or underneath a color to make it pop!
Each color is shown with 3 coats of color for full coverage.
The application of Gelliebeans gel nail polish was easy and much like every other gel polish I've tried. The steps are almost identical to the steps I outline in my DIY Gel Nail tutorial, with one exception: Gelliebeans instructions say to buff the natural nail with a 100 grit file as step 1 (to prep the nail). A 100 grit file is way too coarse, and you should actually use a 220 buffing block to gently remove the shine from the natural nail.
It took a little getting used to the brush with the small bottle, but the consistency of the product was great. It went on smoothly and self-leveled very well. I had a few colors that looked streaky at first, but after and 2nd and 3rd coat they were perfect. I also didn't experience any shrinkage at the tips after curing, which is a huge plus! There's nothing more annoying than when the gel won't stay on the tips of the nail.
I am in love with this awesome little portable LED lamp! It's so cute and compact- about the size of an iPhone. It has 3 watts of power and comes with a USB cord, a rechargeable battery, and a built in 30, 60, and 90 second timer. It's so convenient and I love that it's battery powered- perfect for taking with me on vacation in a few weeks. I was worried about getting a major chip or breaking a nail while I'm away, and now I can take a few of the mini bottles of polish with me and this adorable little travel lamp and I'll be set!
Here is my first Gelliebeans manicure! I opted for some fun nail art to go with the colors Mint Without the Chips and Best Friend's Wedding Cake.
I wore this mani for about 8 days before I fudged it up and got a chip. It was completely my fault though, and it was a painful chip. I was rushing around getting housework done and reached way too far into the washer, jamming my finger in the bottom. Ouch! I still wore my Gelliebeans mani for a few more days after the chip, simply because it was too pretty to soak off and the rest of the mani was still perfectly intact. I'm happy to report that Gelliebeans held up quite nicely! Besides my own goof, there wasn't any lifting, peeling, or chipping, and they stayed shiny. The soak off time for Gelliebeans was a bit longer than the average gel, taking about 20-25 minutes, rather than the usual 10-15. Not a huge deal, but I will definitely keep that in mind if I'm ever in a hurry to do a soak off.
Overall I was pretty impressed with Gelliebeans gel polish and their system, and I think they would be great for someone just getting into doing their own gel nails at home. If you're interested in trying it now is a great time! I have a promo code for Lulu & Sweet Pea readers that will give you 30% off all Gelliebeans products. Just use the code QB30 to get 30% off anything on the QBG Brands website!
Guess what? One lucky reader is going to win some Gelliebeans products from me! The prize is 1 bottle of Rock Bottom Base (base coat), 2 colors of gel polish (randomly chosen), 1 bottle of Hard Candy Shell (top coat), and the portable LED lamp!
Entering is easy- just use the Rafflecopter widget below. Don't see the widget? Try refreshing the page. Only the first entry is mandatory, and more bonus entries will open up after the first one is done.
This giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents only.
Winners will be selected randomly via Rafflecopter.
Giveaway is open until June 19, 2015.
Please refer to the terms and conditions.
Void where prohibited.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Never tried gel nails? I've got a ton of tutorials for you! My DIY Gel Nails post is a great place to start. I walk you through the entire process, step by step, and I include a lot of pictures and I'm a stickler for detail. It's a long one...but I promise: read the tutorial from start to finish and you'll end up with an amazing gel manicure. Once you've got that down you can move on to some of my other tutorials and you'll soon be a pro.
DIY Gel Nails
Gel Nail Removal
DIY gel french manicure
How to fill or refresh gel nails
How to fix a chipped gel nail
How to change your gel color w/o soaking them off
Embedding loose glitter in gel nails